Pakistan's Top Exports, Explained
What Pakistan sells to the world — textiles, rice, leather, surgical goods and more — and why textiles dominate the export basket.
Textiles are the backbone
Textiles and apparel make up roughly half or more of Pakistan's goods exports in most years. The group ranges from raw cotton yarn and grey cloth to finished knitwear, bedwear, towels and ready-made garments.
Finished goods such as knitwear and bedwear earn far more per kilogram of cotton than yarn does, so the shift toward value-added products matters more than the headline volume.
Food: rice leads the way
Rice — especially basmati — is Pakistan's largest food export, alongside fruit, vegetables, fish and meat. Rice earnings swing with harvests, global prices and export policies in neighbouring India.
Smaller but specialised sectors
Sialkot is a global hub for surgical instruments and sports goods, including footballs. Leather products, chemicals, cement and engineering goods round out the rest of the basket.
Why it matters
Because exports are concentrated in a few sectors, a slowdown in global textile demand can hit Pakistan's earnings hard. Diversifying into more products and markets is a long-standing policy goal.